degrees of separation

For the First Time, Women Are More Educated Than Their Husbands

Photo: Eric Audras/Corbis

For the first time since the Pew Research Center has kept track of such things, the percentage of American women who are more highly educated than their husbands is higher than the percentage of husbands who have more degrees than their wives.

Gathered from census data, research shows that 21 percent of women have more degrees than their husbands, whereas 20 percent of men have more degrees than their spouses. (In 1960, these numbers were 7 percent for women and 14 percent for men.) The trend can be seen most clearly among newly married couples, because, for the past 20 years, younger women have been more likely to pursue higher education than men.

And so we move forward in this wide world of people making choices about education and marriage and life in general. Hold on tight for further  updates in another 10 years or so!

For the First Time, Wives Are More Educated